This process hides your real IP which helps to hide your browsing activity and stay semi-anonymous online. This happens multiple times before your data is eventually sent on to its ultimate destination. Each time it has a different node, the IP Address linked to your internet data is changed. Once connected to this, when you search for something online, your data is bounced around the Tor network of nodes. But, is now run by the not-for-profit Tor Foundation, who are considered Tor’s developers. Tor was originally created by the US Navy to send sensitive information and secure communications. An Onion site address that you type into the address bar does not look like the ones that you type into a regular browser, but rather like seemingly random strings of numbers and letters ending in “.onion.” It can be used to access Onion links, which lead to different Onion sites.

It is so named because it offers multiple layers of end-to-end encryption, much like the layers of an onion. What is Tor?įor those not already in the know, it’s probably best to begin by explaining exactly what we mean by Tor.Īs we have already said, Tor stands for The Onion Router. In this article, we will look to answer all of these questions and more and give you all the information you need to use Tor in a safe and secure way. But is it really another viable option for most users? And the biggest question of all, is Tor safe to use? The Tor project is sometimes put up on a pedestal as an alternative to a VPN. However, there are other methods to access Tor too. It is most commonly involves connecting to the internet by using the open-source software called the Tor browser, which is also the most common way of accessing the ‘dark web’ too.

Tor, which is an acronym for The Onion Router, is an online security and privacy tool that bounces your data around different relays or nodes to help mask your identity online. If you are switched on about internet privacy, the chances are that you already know something about the Tor project.

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